With the quest of improving search engine rankings, we have developed some best practices. Implementation of the following best practices will vastly improve the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website.
Content
Keep Paragraphs Clear and Concise. People do not read websites; they scan. Ask yourself does my site pass the “5 second test”. Meaning, once someone lands on your website do they know who you are, what you do, and how to contact you in 5 seconds,
The following will aid in passing a 5 second test:
- Use Inverted Pyramid style in writing. Start with the most important information.
- Know your audience. Using words that they are used to allows the user to easily scan and understand.
- Keep Paragraphs short
- Break up long paragraphs and omit any unnecessary verbiage
- Eliminate nonessential information
- Highlight major terms and phrases but be careful not to overuse.
- Create clear page hierarchy and use headings.
- Use bulleted lists to allow users to quickly see and understand information.
Design
Keep the Design Simple, Fresh and Unique.
- Per ECU Web Content Regulation and to Web Standards and Responsibilities, all sites must be accessible. Learn more about accessibility.
- Page titles should be concise, descriptive and unique. See URL recommendations in Web Standards.
- Navigation should be consistent and easy to use
- Do not include a “home” link in your navigation as the title is a link to your homepage.
- Provide your contact information in the footer that is specific to your website. It must include email and department phone number. Do not use the general university contact information.
- When choosing a photo for your website, choose photos that tell a story and capture a moment that illustrates what you are trying to convey. Steer away from photos of people posing and photos of buildings without people.
- Optimize Images for faster load times and better user experience.